Professional membership and student membership in the Arkansas State Teachers Association includes a comprehensive liability insurance policy guaranteeing $2,000,000 of protection, per occurrence, per member. Each member is insured individually, with coverage starting their first day of membership. For an overview of liability insurance, specifics about ASTA’s liability insurance policy, frequently asked questions about liability insurance and our policy, and to download a copy of the policy, please visit the Liability Insurance page.

Independent contractors who do not qualify for professional membership, but want to purchase a liability insurance policy, can do so through ASTA at a discount.

ASTA purchases each member’s individual insurance policy from Forrest T. Jones & Company at a discount through our membership in the Trust for Insuring Educators, which represents over 1.5 million independent educators nationwide. ASTA has a long-standing partnership with Forrest T. Jones & Company, a highly-respected, family-owned insurance agency specializing in association benefits since 1953. Forrest T. Jones & Company insures over 250,000 policyholders throughout the country.

Included in the $2,000,000 individual liability insurance policy purchased for each professional member, ASTA Legal Protection benefits ensure that members have access to legal counsel at the onset of workplace issues and Defense costs related to liability insurance claims are paid in addition to the $2,000,000 limit. Legal coverage applies to any legal action arising out of duties as an employee of an education entity, including:

civil rights cases

lawsuits against the insured by parents or other teachers

lawsuits against the insured for injunctive relief, declaratory relief, or other non-monetary relief

sexual misconduct (if found not guilty or charges are dropped)

corporal punishment (if found not guilty or charges are dropped)

How are liability insurance and legal protection different?

ASTA liability insurance coverage will pay to others, on your behalf, all sums (up to $2,000,000) that you become legally obligated to pay in damages as a result of acts and omissions arising out of your assigned duties as an employee of an education entity. ASTA legal protection coverage pays defense costs (up to specified limits) in addition to the liability limits specified above.

Included in the $2,000,000 individual liability insurance policy purchased for each professional member, ASTA Employment Rights Coverage ensures that members have access to legal counsel at the onset of workplace employment issues. Members are able to immediately consult with an attorney if they are threatened with termination, suspension, reassignment, or demotion. ASTA Employment Rights Coverage provides or reimburses for an attorney to be involved with consultation and hearings (up to specified limits). In fact, as an added convenience to members, ASTA's network of attorneys bill our insurance provider directly—not you, the individual educator—for services covered under ASTA's plan; in instances when you choose to use your own attorney, your attorney will be reimbursed for services rendered up to the limits specified in the policy.

ASTA provides thousands of dollars annually in teacher scholarships and classroom grants, specifically designed to help advance continuing education and student achievement. All educators are eligible to apply to the Teacher Scholarships and Classroom Grants Program, however ASTA members receive additional weight in the scoring rubric.

Through our national partnership with the Association of American Educators, all ASTA members receive a subscription to Education Matters, AAE's easy-to-read and right-to-the-point newsletter keeps you informed on key issues in education with a refreshing perspective. In recent months, our members have enjoyed articles on "A Charter School Success Story in the Making," "Reinventing Special Education," "Empowering Teachers to do Assessment," and "The Three Reasons We Must Teach History."

Along with the professional benefits listed above, ASTA is dedicated to helping professional educators continue their teacher training and expand their skill base through professional development and a rich network of resources.

Each year you will be invited to participate in ASTA Membership Surveys and AAE National Membership Surveys. Your ideas, priorities, and perspectives are then supplied to the national media, educational policy makers, and the U.S. Congress. U.S. Senator Charles Grassley from Iowa recently told AAE, "I was pleased to review your membership survey, which demonstrates significant policy differences with the unions. I didn't know there were teachers who think like you do. We only get one side of the story here in Washington."